The coronavirus pandemic has been disruptive for all and sadly, devastating and difficult for many. In the pandemic’s early days, we saw a great deal of change and upheaval very swiftly — both for organizations and our communities. The way in which we live our lives day to day changed very quickly. And for many Canadian employers, […]
Just half of Canadian employers said they’ve adopted a formal policy to clearly communicate their approach to disability benefits in the event of a conflict, according to a new survey by Aon. The survey, which was conducted before the coronavirus pandemic, asked Canadian employers about the disability benefits they’re offering to their employees and how […]
In the group benefits world, the first rumblings of the effects of the coronavirus pandemic came when plan sponsors started asking, as early as January, about their travel insurance provisions. “Clients were worried about their business travellers and expatriate employees, in China mostly, and afterwards for their employees travelling for their winter vacations,” said Daniel […]
Plan sponsors have seen significant decreases in their extended health and dental claims over the past three months, according to new data by Eckler Ltd. While the consultancy’s analysis of its large self-insured clients found plan sponsors saw an up to five per cent increase in extended health claims between February and March 2020, these […]
Competitive total rewards programs are a critical component of Canadian organizations’ human resources and corporate strategy, according to a new survey by WorldatWork. The survey, which polled 150 Canadian employers in February, found 96 per cent offer drug, dental, life insurance/accidental death and dismemberment, long-term disability and employee assistance programs. Additionally, 93 per cent of […]
In the midst of the most significant socio-economic and health crisis since WWII — and maybe even longer — virtually every aspect of modern society has been affected in some way, and employee benefits programs are no exception. Before the coronavirus pandemic was in full swing in Canada, employers were focused on ensuring employees diagnosed with the […]
The coronavirus pandemic is expected to impact employers’ short-term disability claims’ experience as workers fall ill and require time off work to recover from the virus, but plan sponsors may also have to prepare for an increase in long-term disability claims after the crisis eventually ends. The spike in claims could follow the same pattern as it did […]
With the coronavirus pandemic rapidly evolving, the global employment landscape is facing unprecedented challenges. Looking at short-term disability programs, benefits plans, human resources policies and legal obligations, Benefits Canada hosted a panel of experts in a webinar on March 19 to answer plan sponsor questions. Click here to find out what you missed. For individuals […]
Since my last two editorials have targeted issues around pension plan design and retirement readiness, I’m balancing things out this month by turning my attention to benefits. Fortunately, I have strong opinions on the topic of this month’s cover story. Since I joined Benefits Canada four years ago, I’ve noticed that paramedical benefits — and […]
Historically, Epcor Utilities Inc. provided employees with $1,000 in annual coverage for each paramedical service, ranging from massage therapists, physiotherapists and chiropractors to speech therapists, naturopaths and dieticians. But in 2018, the Edmonton-based utilities company looked at its annual paramedical costs and found its massage therapy spend had ballooned to nearly match the cost of […]